Artwork by Jennifer Ding

The concept of beauty standards has been known to mankind for centuries. Women have been pushed to appeal to men, and these standards have helped reinforce the patriarchy; throughout the years, standards have reflected societal beliefs and affected lifestyles. Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable shift toward “conservative beauty” and embracing “traditional femininity,” aligning with the larger, gradual shift in overall ideals throughout the United States.

In an article published in The Week magazine this past December, Devika Rao affirms that some of the newer trends “put an emphasis on natural hair colors, straying away from tattoos and piercings.”

These trends have spread across social media platforms and have easily gained traction. According to a Dazed article by Laura Pitcher, other popular trends include the “no-make-up make-up” look, more subtle plastic surgery procedures, and increasingly negative attitudes toward people with larger bodies. While none of these trends are inherently mean-spirited, together, they support the resurgence and widespread shift to conservatism as has been the case in the past. Young women are being encouraged to be more “feminine” and “dainty” in their actions, resulting in the reinforcement of outdated expectations.

Societal expectations that encourage women to remain in their traditional roles reinforce gender norms, strengthen the idea of patriarchy, and allow women toremain submissive to men. The abuse of Ozempic and the resurgence of “Trad wives” have only further strengthened the problem, with extremely large numbers of people pushing these lifestyles on impressionable young women.

As America’s fashion and beauty further shift toward more conservative standards, women may suffer and face harsher expectations that could increasingly emerge in different areas of their lives, potentially causing a shift backwards for feminism.